Times Tables, Humiliation and Two Tips for an Emotional Vision

We want people to remember our vision, right? Well it pays to understand exactly what we remember and why. Think about these two things that I am sure you have no trouble remembering: 1) the equation 3x3=9, and 2) a time in your life when you were humiliated.

How do we learn?

Whether it is memory or motor skills, learning is the result of something called Long Term Potentiation (LTP). Very simply, as we learn (say, 3x3=9) we build a ‘pattern’ of neural activity, which is essentially an electrical current. Now, at first this electrical current travels slowly – we may need to count 3x3 on our fingers – like the ‘wires’ don’t carry the signal too well. But eventually 3x3=9 becomes automatic and at this point the ‘wires’ seem to become super-conductive and the electrical signal literally races along the neurons. This is learning – or LTP – the neural pattern for a certain memory or behaviour is so well trained that it happens automatically. And it only takes place when the electrical signal is ‘strong’ enough.

There are two ways that this electrical signal becomes ‘strong’ enough.

Firstly, the signal itself may not be that strong, but if it happens over and over again, the cumulative effect can be strong enough. Take the case of 3x3=9. Why do you remember it? Because you have heard it so many times. While the signal isn’t that strong, the cumulative strength of hearing it over and over again is.

The other way is if the signal is so great that LTP happens immediately. For a signal to be this strong, it needs to be tied to an emotional signal. While 3x3=9 is not emotional, that humiliating event definitely was. So, although that event hasn’t happened over and over again (I hope), you still remember it vividly.

The Vision that you want people to remember needs to have the same components: it needs to be repeated often and it needs to be emotional, which is what I’m dealing with in this post.

How do we make a Vision appeal to emotion? Here are two tips:

1) Create an Imbalance

Most theories of motivation and behaviour propose that all behaviour and learning is the result of an imbalance between what we currently have and what we would ideally like to have. For the majority of workers, there is no imbalance – they are quite happy going about their work everyday.

To create an imbalance, we need to contrast what their position is currently, versus what it could be in the future. Painting a picture, and a contrast, between the current state and the potential future state is a surefire way to create an emotional response.

We all like to hold onto our positive self-perceptions and when we see a better alternative to what we have now, we are pulled in that direction.

One caveat – the future state has to reflect something that your staff actually wants.

2) Use common language

Consider these two differing statements that I heard recently at a management retreat:

a) "We set high business outcomes for our clients and we deliver on those expectations in a timely and complete manner"

Does that inspire you? Probably not. Now consider this alternative:

b) "We do what we say we're going to do"

The second option actually makes you feel something and one of the reasons is that it uses common language. Or more accurately because it
doesn’t use business-speak.

The problem with humans is that we have competing parts of our brains for emotions and logic. If you’ve ever had an emotional argument and left thinking:
“I had so many great retorts, but I couldn’t think of them!” then you know this is true. In fact, it is impossible for us to switch on our Limbic System (emotions) at the same time as our Pre-Frontal Cortex (analysis and logic).

Business-speak forces us to analyse. It makes us turn on the analytical part of our brain and this switches off the emotional part. A Vision with too much analytical language literally forces people to switch off emotionally.

To create a Vision that means something, you have to go out on a limb. That is why it is so hard. Go out on a limb to create something that means something emotionally to your people, set a path for something better, and go out on a limb and sound like a normal person instead of a manager.

Have you ever had a Vision that you didn’t care about? I’d love to hear about it.